The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has uncovered that Tk134 crore was deposited in accounts linked to journalist Munni Saha and her husband Kabir Hossain, exceeding their disclosed income sources.
Of this amount, Tk120 crore has been withdrawn at various times, while Tk14 crore remains in deferred status.
According to a report by Bangladesh Bank, the funds were deposited into accounts held by MS Promotions, owned by Munni Saha and her husband, and Prime Traders, owned by Mahfuzul Haque.
The bank's investigation also revealed that loans totalling Tk51.5 crore were granted to these entities by One Bank, despite no evident business relationship between the two companies.
The investigation revealed that MS Promotions’ account was opened at One Bank’s Karwan Bazar branch on May 2, 2017, with Munni Saha listed as the nominee.
According to Bangladesh Bank’s report, a current account for Prime Traders was opened on July 21, 2004, at One Bank's Khatunganj branch. The company, as per documents, imports various goods and supplies them to the local market.
On August 3, 2008, the bank approved a loan of Tk26.50 crore for 90 days to purchase 11,500 tons of peas from the local market, following a request from the client.
However, the loan repayment deadline was extended twice due to non-payment.
In January 2011, the loan was restructured with an interest waiver to address the default.
The loan underwent a second restructuring in June 2012 and a third in February 2017, during which Tk25.78 crore in interest was waived.
The third restructuring also suspended maturity and future interest for 12 years, with a three-month grace period.
Following objections raised by Bangladesh Bank, the loan repayment was rescheduled into six instalments totalling Tk13.74 crore over six years.
While the borrower made payments until 2019, no payments were made in 2020. Subsequently, in 2021, the remaining Tk8.61 crore loan was further extended, allowing repayment in 39 equal instalments by August 2026.
The report further revealed that Kabir Hossain, husband of Munni Saha, opened a current account for his advertising agency, MS Promotion, at the Karwanbazar branch of One Bank on May 2, 2017.
Following his application, an overdraft (OD) loan of Tk18 crore was approved on June 6 of that year. However, due to non-payment, the loan was renewed during a bank executive committee meeting on January 27, 2019, based on the client’s request.
Later, at another executive committee meeting on November 24, 2019, the OD loan limit was raised to Tk25 crore, alongside the renewal of the outstanding loan account.
Finally, in 2022, the loan was restructured into a five-year term loan.
Recently, Munni Saha was reportedly confronted by locals as he exited the “Vision 2021 Tower” (formerly Janata Tower) of the ICT Department in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka.
Police intervened upon receiving information, rescuing Munni Saha and escorting her to Tejgaon police station.
Although initial reports suggested she might be arrested in connection with a case, she was released into family custody after considering health and other factors, with the condition that bail would be secured from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Intelligence Division.
